CABINET was cornered into backing the government's draconian media regulations during a special meeting on Tuesday, senior Gillard ministers have confirmed.

Cabinet sources revealed that most ministers were denied time to properly read Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's proposed media reform rules before they were rubber stamped.

"It would be fair to say there was very limited discussion," one cabinet source said, confirming proper process had been scrapped at the meeting.

A small number of ministers are believed to have been kept in the loop, including Treasurer Wayne Swan and Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

But other key cabinet ministers said they had been given no notice of what was to come before the Tuesday meeting, nor were they given sufficient time to digest the document before it was agreed to.

It has also been revealed that caucus rules were breached when the media reform documents were dumped on a table during a subsequent caucus meeting on Tuesday, with MPs given similarly little time to digest the documents before being forced to a vote.

Caucus chair Gavin Marshall, who sources claimed was outraged about the attempted breach, tried to stop a vote, claiming MPs had been treated with a lack of respect by not being given sufficient notice. It was later decided the caucus could vote, and it supported the reforms.

Ms Gillard's spokesman last night said it was a long-standing practice for the Prime Minister not to comment on cabinet process but said "these reforms have been the subject of intensive internal and external discussion for 12 months".

But Mr Conroy's attempts to gag the media may be doomed to fail, with a bloc forming among the cross-benchers - who have said they will not be brow-beaten into rushing the laws through parliament by next week.

Independent Rob Oakeshott said he was appalled at the government's handling of the issue and questioned whether it had been deliberately designed to fail.

"I won't play my way or the highway," Mr Oakeshott said.

"My initial instinct, unless there is more in this package than I've seen, is that I'm out. I won't be taking ultimatums on Conroy's time frames ... there is a parliamentary process that needs to be respected."

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has vowed - if elected - to tear up the media reforms if they pass parliament next week.

News Limited CEO Kim Williams, publisher of this website, described the Conroy reforms as "Soviet"-era argument and a "travesty of public process of the most heinous kind".

Mr Williams has flagged legal action to challenge the reforms if passed.

"These are actions of an extreme nature ... it goes to the very heart of the operation of free speech in this country," Mr Williams said. "We have had no consultation whatsoever and we have asked for it repeatedly."

Key cabinet ministers Peter Garrett, Bob Carr and Tanya Plibersek reportedly turned up late to the Tuesday cabinet meeting because their flight from Sydney was delayed.

The proposed new rules include reduced licence fees for free-to-air TV, a public interest test for mergers and a new government-appointed Public Interest Media Advocate which could revoke a newspaper's privacy protections if it didn't abide by new unknown standards which have not yet been set.

Ms Gillard yesterday defended the reforms and accused the opposition of siding with media companies for political advantage by opposing them.

The Prime Minister said that the reforms would strengthen self-regulation by the media and denied the government was seeking to gag its critics.

Ms Gillard said it was a Labor government that had established shield laws to protect journalists.

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